


In the grand scheme of things

by Qrowcane (timaeustestifiedsilence)



Category: RWBY
Genre: First Dates, Fluff, M/M, Shyness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-19 08:49:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13120305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timaeustestifiedsilence/pseuds/Qrowcane
Summary: Ozpin's had eons to perfect his words, to become a suave man, a smooth criminal. So why was it that one man, out of any he'd ever met, turned him to putty?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> This was written as a part of an Ozqrow secret Santa. Happy holidays!

Beacon Academy, in all of its splendor, was prestiged with training phenomenal huntsman and huntresses. Given that, it was still a high school at heart. Bullies, cliques, nerdy clubs - all of those and more existed within the walls of the academy. And, of course, puppy love.

You’d be lucky if you didn’t run into at least one couple kissing in the hallways on your way to your next class. While they’d put up a fight for the longest time, most professors eventually gave up on keeping students off of each other (for the most part) - they too were teens once. Professor Port almost  _ encouraged  _ young men trying to get the attention of girls; he would claim how popular he was, and still is, with the ladies, and then give out tips that no one really asked for. If you were unlucky enough to get caught by him, you may very well end up with a history lesson about love.

Professor Goodwitch, however, was not the person you’d want to get caught by. Though her weapon was a riding crop, it was used exclusively for appropriate reasons, such as whacking students that got too touchy-feely in public.  _ ‘This is an academy for training huntsman and huntresses to defend mankind, not a love shack for hormonal teens!’  _  She would scold, with a quite literal slap on the wrist. Her small area of the school was kept PDA-free, although she was often seen prowling the hallways.

In the end, students were mostly free to do as they pleased as long as they were appropriate, no one was hurt, and no property was damaged (and they did their school work -  _ ‘Education is the most important thing!!’  _ \- Professor Oobleck).

The staff wasn’t left out of the ‘fun’, though. The longest running bet in the academy was whether or not Professor Goodwitch and the Headmaster, Ozpin, had a thing for each other. Even the most professional of students succumbed to betting at one point or another.

_ ‘There’s no way!’  _ Some cried,  _ ‘She’s too stuck-up! He’s caring! They’d never mix.’ _

Others would argue such  _ obvious _ chemistry (duh).  _ ‘You look at the way they look at each other and tell me that there’s nothing going on. I saw them wink at each other once!’ _

Then there was the sect of students that fawned over the headmaster. Yes, his silver hair and grandpa-like tendencies made him seem even older, but who had the heart to stop students from adoring their favorite professor? It was innocent adoration ( _ ‘C’mon, can’t we have one hot teacher? Oobleck scares me and Port is, well, Port…’ _ ), and the headmaster got plenty of sweets and coffee mugs out of it.

Who could complain?

Well... maybe Ozpin himself. The students could idolize him all they wanted and Glynda could grumble her soul away, but there was one person in particular that he truly wanted the attention of - a dark humored, sarcastic avian that was married to his flask. It was none other than Qrow Branwen, his long time friend, co-worker, and confidant. 

Normal approaches didn’t seem to get through to Qrow, who was pretty oblivious to romantic advances unless someone was draped over his lap, and Ozpin was above that. He was a classy man, suave to the core. What he was currently doing clearly wasn’t enough, and Ozpin quickly came to the conclusion that he needed to step up his game.

No matter what he did, Qrow either laughed it off or didn’t even acknowledge it.  _ ‘Just bros being bros, haha,’ _ or something along those lines is what Qrow would always say. Ozpin never really understood that. One time he worked up the courage to ask Qrow a rather personal question;  _ ‘Have you ever been with anyone other than a woman?’.  _ The answer he received was one of almost fear -  _ ‘N-no, not really, no. I’m a ladies man. C’mon Oz, you know that!’  _ And, in fact, he  _ did _ know that, but why be so nervous about it?

Perhaps Ozpin needed to do some...investigating.


	2. Chapter 2

Ozpin had devised a plan - a plan that would help unravel once and for all the enigma known as Qrow Branwen. It was simple; he’d spend even more time than he normally did around the man. A little flirting here, some very loudly dropped hints there, and perhaps eventually Qrow would understand.

* * *

 

Lost in thought, Ozpin walked right into Qrow, who was closely watching a sparring match between a few students. “Whoa, hey, Oz. Feelin’ a little distracted?” he chuckled. The headmaster turned ever so slightly pink before remembering he was supposed to be the smooth one.

“Perhaps a tad. Say, Qrow, are you busy this evening? I’ve got no one to eat dinner with, and, well, who else to enjoy a meal with than a close friend?” He made sure to look Qrow right in his (rather intimidating) eyes.

“I, uh...no, I’m not busy. Depends on what you’re cookin’ though.” Qrow flashed a smile and Ozpin could feel his heartbeat quicken.

“Wonderful! It’ll be a surprise.” Well, that was easier that he thought. Now to actually come up with something to cook… “See you at 6, then?”

Qrow nodded minutely and turned back to the sparring match. Didn’t say anything, didn’t do anything more to acknowledge Ozpin’s existence. Disheartening, yes, but he’d already achieved a dinner ~~date~~ with him - no need to push for more. ‘ _Alright, Oz, you got what you wanted. You’ve got. . .3 hours to cook something to knock his cape off.’_

Without another second of hesitation, Ozpin hurried off back to his small apartment, just off of his office. Fortunately, no grocery shopping was needed. It was a stroke of pure luck that he ran into Glynda, who huffed loudly in irritation before straightening up.

“What on earth are you in such a hurry for? Running in the halls doesn’t set a good example for our students.”

Her fierce gaze made Ozpin want to squirm, but she let up when she noticed the pink in his cheeks, the bounce in his step. “I’ve invited Qrow over for dinner, and, well, I wanted to get cooking as soon as possible...I’m not even sure what I’m going to cook yet.”

“How nice of you.” It also wasn’t hard to notice the gleam the headmaster had in his eyes. “Is there...something else you wanted to tell me?”

“Well, ask more than tell, but...would you perhaps be able to help me with cooking? Whatever you make always ends up absolutely divine tasting compared to whatever I can concoct.”

Glynda let out a twinkling laugh, obviously pleased. “My cooking? _Divine_? Well if you say it’s that good, then maybe I _will_ help you.”

Another victory in such a small time period! “Splendid! I’ve got plenty of food, so let’s go.” Ozpin grabbed her by the hand and began dragging her away.

“Oh, now? Well. . .” She trailed off as the school elevator dinged open.

* * *

 

“Are you sure he’ll like it??”

Ozpin was hovering nervously around Glynda as she cooked, attempting to help whenever he saw an opening. She tried to tolerate him, but with him fluttering about, she nearly spilled the pot of soup she was carrying.

“Yes, Ozpin, I’m sure he’ll love it. But please, if you’re not going to help, do stay out of the way.” Glynda hated to scold him, especially because he was her boss, but she needed to finish cooking with minimal casualties.

An amalgamation of smells soon filled the apartment; thick chili, fresh biscuits, and an entire garden’s worth of a salad was laid out on the dining room table, which was near unequipped for that much food. Luxuriously thick brownies baked away in the oven and Ozpin felt like he was going to burst - it was 5:45, and he looked like a mess. Where had his glasses gone? He was pretty sure he never took them off in the first place and oh gods they were about to be squashed by the stack of plates and silverware Glynda was setting down.

He ended up getting his glasses back on his face, only for Glynda to start fussing over his hair and his outfit.

“You look like a child fresh from playing outside! You can’t wear that for dinner, either. Honestly, Ozpin,” she sighed, “Your people skills are truly lacking. Those hermit days really messed you up. . . “

Instead of giving her an indignant glare or rolling his eyes petulantly, Ozpin collapsed into a chair and all but slammed his head onto the table. “I’m hopeless. I feel like a schoolgirl pining for his attention, trying my hardest to just impress him.”

“Then just talk to him,” Glynda said softly. She leaned over to place a hesitant hand on his back and did something akin to comforting. “Don’t sugarcoat things, don’t clutter them with anything unnecessary. I wouldn’t be surprised if he felt like he was in the same position as you.”

The two exchanged a look of equal hope and anxiety - what a faithful friend Glynda was, truly. Ozpin had a sneaking suspicion that, perhaps, she felt something for him, but he’d rather not get excited about a misinterpretation.

“You’re a smooth guy, Ozpin. Just be yourself and don’t forget to breathe.”

Breathe. Be smooth. Be yourself.

Ozpin was going to mess up somehow. 

* * *

 

The seconds ticked by as Ozpin sat on his sofa, patiently awaiting his visitor. ‘ _No need to panic,’_ he told himself, _‘He’ll be here soon enough and then everything will go just like you planned.’_ He really believed it, too. Sure, Qrow might show up 5 minutes late because, well, late was his version of on-time. If he was 10 minutes late, he’d probably gotten a little lost. 15 minutes? Well, either he got into a fight or there was a hint of alcohol on his breath. Usually both.

Before he knew it, it was 6:30 and his leg had begun to bounce like there was no tomorrow. The laidback avian was never _this_ late to something, whether it was a meeting or a party. Ozpin was about to call Glynda to panic when a soft knock was heard at the door, almost missed because of his persistent fidgeting.

He ran to the door and graciously flung it open to reveal a flushed Qrow, who was staring down at his feet.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” he sighed, “I couldn’t find anything to wear, and then something caught on fire, and then I managed to get lost, and I. . .I’m really sorry for keeping you waiting.” Qrow still hadn’t looked up and Ozpin almost laughed out of relief.

“It’s quite alright, Qrow. I’m glad to see you here. Now come, dinner is ready and still steaming hot.” He stepped aside to usher Qrow in, who gave him a grateful smile and pat on the shoulder before making a beeline for the food.

“Smells like heaven, Oz. Did you do all this yourself?”

All by himself? Mmm. . .well. . .it'd be nice to say yes, but that wouldn't be fair. “Not quite. I had some help from Glynda.”

“I see. Either way, this all looks fantastic. Well done to you both.”

Ozpin smiled at the compliment and told himself to pass it along to Glynda, who'd surely be just as pleased. The two sat down and began to eat, passing dishes to and fro. Despite the calm atmosphere and even the music playing quietly in the background, the both of them were clearly tense, and Qrow just would not look Ozpin in the eyes as if his life depended on it.

“Is everything alright, Qrow?” Had he done something wrong? Was the food cold? Oh gods he forgot to bring out the brownies that _had_ to be it.

Qrow abruptly froze as he reached for his drink and slowly looked up. “Everything is perfect, Oz. This is the best night I've had in a long while.” His words were slow, measured, and not at all like he normally spoke.

“Really?”

He snorted and nodded vigorously. “The food, the ambience, everything. What're you so skeptical about?”

“Because you're still holding something back, Qrow. I've spent enough time around you to know when you've got something on the tip of your tongue.”

Oh, _boy,_ was Ozpin onto him. Qrow could feel his cheeks start to turn pink. Yeah, he wanted to say something, but he'd no idea how Ozpin would react. But it was now or never, right? He didn't need to be smooth with his words like Oz did. He was loud, brash Qrow Branwen who said what he wanted and wanted what he said.

“I love all of this, Oz, and I… feel the same about you. “

Now it was Ozpin's turn to be a bit shocked. ‘Love’ and ‘Oz’ don't usually go in the same sentence, and he wasn't sure he'd actually ever heard that combination before.

And then, even softer, “I love you.”

Was it uncommon for relationships between men, between women? Not really; in Remnant, the people didn't care who loved who as long as they were loving rather than warring and yet Ozpin was floored. He hadn't expected this, his feelings to be returned before he'd truly shown them. 

"Oh..."

Immediately Qrow started to shrink into himself, going from bright red to too pale in an instant. “I'm sorry, I… I shouldn't have expected you to feel the same.”

“What? No, Qrow, I do feel the same! I just didn't expect you to actually say that. I haven't loved in a very long time and, well, I'd hoped inviting you over would be a step in the right direction.”

“PFFT.” Qrow began to laugh and nearly snorted. “This was a date, wasn't it? No wonder you ran off so quickly earlier.”

“Well in my _defense_ , I had a meal to prepare, and I wanted to impress you!”

Even louder now, Qrow laughed. He laughed and laughed until he was sliding out of his chair, and Ozpin sat and watched the entire time. A giggle rose out of him before he could stop it and the two soon were too busy laughing to remember how tense they'd been earlier.

In the grand scheme of things, this was, by far, a huge success for the both of them.

“Brownies?” Ozpin offered, rising slowly.

“Are they special brownies?”

Ozpin looked at him with such utter bewilderment that Qrow waved him away. “Never mind, Oz. Go ahead and get ‘em.”

He quickly came back with a plate of soft fudge brownies and they dove into them with no hesitation. They spent the rest of the night eating (and ‘lightly’ sipping on wine). Yeah, it was a date. Was there kissing involved? Well, neither of them seemed to recall… or perhaps it was their little secret.


End file.
